Touring Events for 2009

Spring to Virginia: April 10 to 19 (Full details on the Spring to Virginia Page)

Northumberland:  May 16 to 18

Vermont Weekend:  July 31 to August 3

Vermont Inn-to-Inn: August 3 to 9

Adirondack Quickie:  August 21 to 23

Summer's End Century Tour: September 12-13 (tentative dates)

The description on the Spring to Virginia webpage  should entice you to give it a try this year if you haven't yet made up your mind.  After a run of several years under the capable leadership of Doug Goodhew and Harold Blount, I am pleased to present our new organizers for this tour, Ruth Bonk and Paul Young, both of whom are Virginia veterans.

The Northumberland Tour in May is once again returning to Breakers on the Lake in Cobourg.  We are keeping the same basic format and capacity, but there will be one notable improvement.  My more informal route-planning system of past years is being supplanted with a pre-packaged selection of route maps.  This will give me more time to get the actual rides organized and make sure that everyone has a suitable group to ride with.  The maps are being prepared by Dave Lennox and Alex McKnight.

In the next newsletter and on the website you can expect an article introducing the Vermont Inn-to-Inn tour, written by our new tour organizers, Ray Carr and Jill Hutchinson, who are taking over from Alison Ingham and Joanne Schuck.  They have a good route planned and a selection of great inn accommodations.  The Vermont Weekend will be based out of Castleton State College in Castleton, and this will also be the start and end point for the Inn-to-Inn tour.  We were first in Castleton in 2005 and it proved to be an excellent choice, both in the accommodations and the availability of good cycling routes, suitable for both ramblers and racers.  Application forms for both tours will be in the May newsletter or by contacting the club office.

Paul Young returns this year with the late-summer Adirondack Quickie tour in Wilmington, New York, with the same accommodations and same great cycling and hiking opportunities.  This cycling paradise features countless almost untraveled roads and access to some challenging terrain.  It's just the place to use the fitness you've been building all summer long.

Once again we cap off the season with the Summer's End Century Tour.  This tour is organized by Rosmarie Gerber.  We are returning to Navcan this year, and if you were there last year you should see some improvements.  All those rough edges due to new management will have been smoothed out.

As always, please let us know how we're doing with these events.  If there are any problems or questions please don't hesitate to contact me, or Rosmarie in the Club Office.  Rosmarie can also help you with any special needs or simply to get an extra application form.  As in the past, these cycling events are only open to OBC members so be sure to renew for 2009.  I look forward to seeing all of you on the roads this season.

Ron Schwartz